Feedback: Keep it coming, the good with the bad.
Spoilers: Seasons 3 through to 7 in Btvs
Pairings:Dawn/Faith.
Disclaimer: All characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are
copyright
Joss Whedon and 20th Century Fox, for they are the masters of the
universe, or the Buffyverse at least.

Faith stood in front of the door shifting from one foot to the other uncertainly.

She raised her hand to knock and then let it drop, she wasn't sure what she was doing here but she didn't really have anywhere better to go.

She sighed and raised her hand again, firmly knocking on the door of Buffy's apartment.

Faith looked away glancing around the corridor in which she stood, obviously apartment block corridors were the same the world round, white walls, rows of doors and bright white lights, she could be standing in a block of flats anywhere in America instead of in Rome, Italy.

The door finally opened to reveal Dawn in a pair of jeans and a small, tight pink belly-baring top, the expectant look on her face falling to a closed expressionless glare.

"Faith," she said her voice guarded.

"Hey Dawn, Buffy in?" asked Faith.

"Why?"

"Well I flew all the way to Rome to see her, be kinda nice to know where she is."

"She's out," said Dawn shortly.

"Oh," Faith nodded slightly.

There was an awkward pause.

"So…um…can I come in?" asked Faith.

Dawn looked at her suspiciously.

"Why? Do you need an invite?"

Faith pointed at the small cross on her necklace that lay just above the hollow between her breasts.

"Wouldn't be wearing one of these if I did now would I, Brat," said Faith getting annoyed.

Dawn assessed Faith who was wearing her usual uniform, tight black jeans, tight red top and black leather jacket, her eyes then flicked suspiciously from the cross to Faith's face, then before Faith could react Dawn quickly reached out poking Faith's arm with an extended finger.

Faith looked down at where Dawn's finger had left an imprint in the leather of her jacket.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Faith frowned.

"Just checking," Dawn sighed and waved Faith into the apartment. "Come on in then."

Faith entered, still frowning.

"Checking for what?" she asked. "To see whether I was ghost or something?"

"No, to see whether you were the First or not," Dawn moved past Faith to stand in the middle of the apartment, arms crossed across her chest.

"I thought we got rid of that thing, you know big battle, Hellmouth destroyed, Sunnydale a large hole in the ground," Faith looked troubled.

"Strange thing about being a non-corporeal evil, having tonnes of rock landing on top of you really doesn't do a lot."

"Oh, so that whole fight was a waste of time?" Faiths grew more troubled.

"I wouldn't say that, we stopped its army from poring forth out of hell and wiping the human race off the face of the earth," said Dawn. "I'd say that was a plus."

"Yeah. Well. I guess," Faith still did not look happy. "But we didn't destroy it though did we?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Faith the First was made up of all the evil in the world and unless you get rid of all evil, all demons, and all evil impulses and desires it's going to exist no matter what."

Faith deliberately reached out to poke Dawn's arm with her finger.

Dawn stared at her. "What did you that for?"

"Just checking," Faith smiled at her sweetly. "That speech you gave sounded like one of the First's."

"And how could I have touched you if I was the First?" asked Dawn.

"I…" Faith paused. "I guess I didn't really think about that."

"Obviously," said Dawn sarcastically. "Then again thinking was never your strong suit."

Faith glared at her, feeling a rising urge to punch the youngest Summers but that wouldn't get her into Buffy's good books and she was supposed to be here to help, so instead she looked around the apartment.

She was impressed; Buffy had obviously done well for herself. The apartment was big but not huge, it had a kitchen, living area and doors leading off to other rooms, probably bedrooms, all the furniture seemed shiny and new and so did the paint on the walls.

"Now you've made sure I'm not a servant of evil could you tell me where Buffy is?" Faith accented heavily the not a servant of evil part.

"Out training some of the new slayers, she won't be back for a while," said Dawn.

"Mind if I stay here and wait?"

"Whatever," Dawn shrugged; she turned and sat at the table in the living area. Faith wandered after her looking around at the apartment again, it was nice, certainly nicer then the places she had been staying in the past few months.

"Nice place you and B have here," she said.

"It's not bad," said Dawn distractedly.

Faith walked over to her, peering over her shoulder. "Whatcha working on brat?"

"Homework," said Dawn tersely.

"Anything I can help with?"

Dawn just looked at her. "Not unless you speak Italian."

"Guess not then," Faith shrugged, continuing her solo tour around the apartment before finally settling on the couch. She pulled out her pack of cigarettes and fished one out, putting it in her mouth she lit it and slowly sucked in the smoke enjoying the warm, thick calming influence in her lungs.

Dawn looked around then did a double take. "Faith put that thing out."

"Why?" Faith deliberately blew the smoke in Dawn's direction.

"Because I asked, and those things will kill you."

Faith continued smoking. "Didn't know you cared brat, and anyway you don't seem to have any ashtrays."

"That's because no-one smokes in here," Dawn sighed angrily as she stood up and got a glass from the kitchen cupboard. "Here put it out in this."

Faith finished her cigarette slowly before stubbing it out in the glass provided by Dawn.

Dawn wrinkled her nose up and carried the glass to the rubbish bin, tipping out its contents and hurriedly replacing the lid.

Faith's eyes followed Dawn, straying down Dawn's body to her butt as she bent over the bin; it was hard to believe that was the same person as the bratty thirteen-year-old Faith had met when she first arrived in Sunnydale. Faith's gaze lingered on the girl's butt before she realized what she was doing and quickly looked away.

"We both just realised we were better off as friends rather then, you know. We still talk occasionally."

"Oh," said Dawn sadly.

"What's wrong D?"

"Just seems no-ones relationships last, I mean Buffy's boyfriends always seem to leave, then there was Xander and Anya, the only one's who seem to have a happy, stable relationship are Willow and Kennedy."

"Wasn't Buffy dating that Immortal guy?" asked Faith.

"She dumped him after she heard about Angel and Spike, she was depressed for a while after that."

"Yeah that was bad news," said Faith softly. "Hey maybe we should all go gay?" she added suddenly.

"What?" Dawn looked confused.

"Well if only Willow and Kennedy are together and happy maybe it says something good about being gay."

"Thanks for the offer Faith," said Dawn wryly. "But I like boys."

"Really, got yourself a hot little Italian stud have you?"

"Actually…." Dawn paused. "Not at the moment, no."

"With a body like that Dawn I would've thought guys would be lining up to get their hands on you," said Faith slowly studying Dawn.

"No, unfortunately. And don't get any ideas Faith there is no way you're getting your hands on my body unless you have another one of those body swap things you used on Buffy," Dawn teased. "You don't do you?" she checked hesitantly.

Faith was looking past Dawn, caught up in thoughts about getting her hands on Dawn's body. Dawn's warm, soft, naked body. Naughty, erotic and possibly illegal thoughts began to go through Faith's mind.

'Whoa where the hell did they come from?' Faith shook her head trying to clear it of said thoughts.

"Yeah probably," Faith nodded distractedly. She had been realising just how much of a grown-up Dawn was, at least physically, and it was starting to make her rather uncomfortable sitting in the apartment.

Alone.

With Dawn.

Who was all grown-up.

'And now my thoughts are starting to become circular and all about one thing.' Faith thought. 'One bad, wrong thing. I so need to get outta here.'

"What you're the only one who gets to do that?" Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"Guess not," Faith moved to the door. "So bye."

Dawn nodded at her and turned back to her homework as Faith hurried through the door.

Faith walked fast along the street confusing thoughts racing through her mind, mostly to do with Dawn.

She simply didn't understand her sudden attraction towards the girl, she had never been attracted like that to another woman before, she'd kissed a couple when she was younger mostly to see what it was like, but it hadn't really rocked her world.

But back there with Dawn she'd been looking at her like she would at a hot guy in a bar she was going to pick up, Faith got another cigarette out, lighting it and began to aggressively puff at it slowing down to lean back against a convenient wall.

She had always thought D was a cute kid, if annoying in a know-it-all kind of way. When she had first met Dawn it had made her slightly jealous of Buffy, why had B got the kid sister why not her?

Then when the whole Key thing had happened it had become rather obvious, hard for her to protect a sister while in jail.

She remembered the Christmas she'd spent with the Summers' when Buffy had left her alone with Dawn and her Mom and gone after Angel, she and Dawn had stayed up late playing card and board games the first time she'd ever done that with anyone and she started liking the little brat.

After that Dawn had begun to try to be like her, talking like her (which had seriously pissed off Buffy, especially when Dawn had started calling her B), acting like her though Buffy and her Mom had drawn the line when Dawn had tried to dress like her. No daughter of mine is going to go round looking like a hooker had been her Mom's exact words, Buffy's had been a lot less pleasant, Faith didn't know what their problem had been she had thought Dawn looked good.

Then she'd gone to the dark side, helping the Mayor with his ascension and that had pretty much put a stop to Dawn's imitation of her, that and the fact she called Dawn a few choice names and pushed her into a wall when she continued to follow her around.

Dawn hadn't seen her after that, unsurprisingly; only Angel and Wes had come to visit her in the big house, then she'd busted out and helped Angel get his soul back and gone back to Sunnyhell with Willow.

Faith remembered the cold reception Dawn had given her, calling her a kill-your-sister-type and while back in Sunnydale she hadn't really noticed Dawn what with the First and apocalyptic battle and all, plus Robin had come along and caught her eye.

In all this travelling down memory lane she could not, for the life of her, remember ever thinking about Dawn in a hot, sweaty, cigarette after kind of way. She'd thought she was cute and nice at times, but never sexy.

"So why now?" Faith muttered to herself.

She thought about it tilting her head back against the wall as she finished her cigarette, dropping it to the footpath and grinding it out under foot. Much as she hated to admit it D was right, thinking had never really been her thing, hitting things sure, planning and strategy she always preferred to leave to others.

But one thing had occurred to her, it could be a love spell of some kind, or more accurately a lust spell after all the feelings she was having weren't exactly of the warm, fuzzy variety.

But why Dawn, I mean she couldn't think of anyone more inappropriate for her to…Ah.

If someone wanted to get back at her making her lust after B's little sis would certainly be one way, the big question was who.

Of course there was Dawn herself, Faith knew Dawn could do some basic magic but she didn't really have the motive for this.

Fighting evil didn't exactly win you a lot of friends, especially of the evil variety, and some of them did have some serious mojo, there had been a couple of warlocks whose activities she had cut into and they could certainly have done this to her.

Whoever was responsible she needed to get rid of it as soon as possible, and maybe Buffy could help with that. The Slayers Council would know a witch or warlock or someone with the mojo who could clear this up for her, Buffy wouldn't need to know the details of course, that would be a way to insure Faith's early death.

However right now Faith needed a distraction, something to get her mind off Dawn and sex and putting the two together, and to ease the growing tension in her muscles.

Suddenly behind her, Faith heard a low growl and turning, she faced up to three vamps in full game face, she was a little surprised considering how many slayers were around she would've thought the vamp population would be well down and they would be a bit skittish about attacking a lone helpless girl, but hell she wasn't arguing as she slid the stake out of the pocket inside her jacket, after all it looked like her distraction had arrived just in time.

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